Our next opponents check: Hoeneß looking forward to ‘tough opening game’

Position

Stuttgart head coach Sebastian Hoeneß was not fully convinced by his team's performance in the last Monday’s friendly against FC Luzern. "I'm happy with the first 70 minutes, but not at all with the last 20," he said after the 3-2 win against the Swiss first division team. VfB deservedly led 2-0 at the break thanks to goals from Nikolas Nartey and Justin Diehl. Chris Führich added the third goal after the break for Stuttgart, who were on top in every respect up to that point. Hoeneß was less pleased when the Swabians conceded two goals after losing possession in the final stages of the game. The defensive display in that phase somewhat clouded the positive overall impression. Nevertheless, the friendly was informative for the coach. Basically, it was about "getting into a rhythm and rediscovering our moves."

Hoeneß and VfB can be very satisfied with how the Bundesliga first half of the season has gone so far. With 26 points after 15 games, Stuttgart are having their second-best season since winning the Bundesliga in 2007. Before the short winter break, the Swabians failed to go above TSG Hoffenheim in the table. Stuttgart were held to a 0-0 draw at home to TSG and remained in sixth place - Hoffenheim, in fifth place, have one point more to their name. Bayer 04, their next opponents, are three points ahead of VfB in third place. In their last five Bundesliga games, Hoeneß' team have only won once - a 4-0 away victory at Werder Bremen.

In the UEFA Europa League, the Swabians have a good chance of qualifying directly for the Round of 16. After four wins and two defeats, VfB are currently in ninth place with twelve points - just one point behind eighth-placed FC Porto and only three points behind leaders Lyon. The DFB Pokal holders are also still in the running in the current domestic cup competition. Following victories against Eintracht Braunschweig (8-7 on penalties), Mainz 05 (2-0) and VfL Bochum (2-0), Stuttgart will face Bundesliga 2 club Holstein Kiel in the quarter-finals on 4 February.

However, VfB's record against Bayer 04 looks anything but good: Stuttgart have only won one of their last 29 matches against the Werkself - the Swabians' last victory came in April 2018 (1-0). Since then, the White and Reds have failed to win in twelve Bundesliga clashes with the Black and Reds (five draws, seven defeats). "Of course, it's going to be a tough opening game," said Sebastian Hoeneß, looking ahead to the match in Leverkusen. "But I feel that the lads are in good shape. We're looking forward to it and hope that we can perhaps achieve a different result from previous years."

PersonNEl

Hoeneß now has a few more options in attack: Centre-forward Ermedin Demirovic made his comeback for VfB in the friendly against FC Luzern after a three-month injury lay-off. The Bosnian last played at the beginning of October in the 1-0 win against FC Heidenheim but was the sidelined for a long spell due to a foot injury forced the 27-year-old to take a long break. Another forward made his debut for the Swabians against Luzern: Jeremy Arevalo joined Stuttgart from Spanish second division club Racing Santander at the beginning of this year. The 20-year-old is an investment for the future. "He already has many of the qualities a striker needs and has shown his qualities at Santander," said Fabian Wohlgemuth, VfB's Director of Sport, about the new signing. "At the same time, he is still young and we still see a lot of potential in Jeremy, which we want to develop with him." Alongside experienced fellow strikers Deniz Undav, Ermedin Demirovic and Jamie Leweling, Arevalo will gradually get to know the Bundesliga.

VfB Stuttgart and winger Silas have gone their separate ways since the middle of this week. The Congolese was under contract with the Swabians for six and a half years, and last season was on loan to Red Star Belgrade. From now on, Silas will play for Mainz 05. Midfielder Yannik Keitel is also no longer in the Stuttgart squad. The 25-year-old has been loaned out to FC Augsburg until the end of the season.

Due to injury, VfB will be without centre-backs Dan-Axel Zagadou (muscle injury), Luca Jaquez (thigh injury) and Ameen Al Dakhil (infection) in Leverkusen on Saturday. New signing Bilal El Khannouss, who came to Stuttgart on loan from Leicester City in the summer and immediately proved to be a great addition to the VfB attack, will also be missing. The 21-year-old, like Bayer 04 player Eliesse Ben Seghir, with the hosts Morocco at AFCON. There is still a question mark over Tiago Tomas. The Portuguese missed the friendly against Luzern due to thigh problems.

Problems

VfB Stuttgart have also had problems in defence, especially against the top clubs in the Bundesliga. Stuttgart conceded half of their 22 goals against Bayern Munich (0-5), Borussia Dortmund (3-3) and RB Leipzig (1-3). The White and Reds have been susceptible to counter-attacks and conceded a number of goals, particularly in the closing stages. Like Eintracht Frankfurt, VfB have conceded nine goals in the final 15 minutes of games. The Swabians have been criticised for a lack of efficiency in their own attacking play. For example, they missed numerous chances in the heavy defeat against Bayern Munich. And they also lacked penetration up front in the 3-1 defeat against Leipzig.

Performers

In terms of approach and footballing class, VfB are one of the top teams in the Bundesliga. Hoeneß favours dominating possession. The average of just under 58 per cent is clear evidence of this. Only FC Bayern (69%) and Bayer 04 (60%) can better that. Stuttgart are also third behind the two aforementioned rivals in terms of passes per game. Despite the departure of two key players, Enzo Millot (Al-Ahli, Saudi Arabia) and Nick Woltemade (Newcastle United), Hoeneß still has a solid team that is strong in all parts and has never given up in the current season. VfB have already won ten points after going behind - only equalled by TSG Hoffenheim. Centre-back Jeff Chabot, midfield dynamo Angelo Stiller and striker Deniz Undav form the backbone of the side. The latter is the team's top scorer with ten goals. New signing Bilal El Khannouss also made an excellent start at VfB with six goals in the Bundesliga and Europa League. On the flanks, Tiago Tomas and Germany international Jamie Leweling are the main sources of pace and goal threat. Leweling is Stuttgart's best provider with ten assists in three competitions.